✦✦✧✧ Belphegor’s well-practiced style of blackened death metal finds a slightly clearer throat, thanks to Jason Suecof’s production values. That the album isn’t particularly varied could also be thanks to Suecof, but let’s be real: Belphegor ain’t the most subtle tool in the shed in any event. New drummer Bloodhammer does a great job pouring on the blast beats, which only undergirds the band’s efforts to sound like a steam locomotive about to blow up.

★★★☆ My very first impression was that, while there’s nothing new or fancy here, that familiarity comes across as classic more than tired. Beneath the surface of this short and sweet deathy brutality, however, these guys are experimenting a little with mood and dynamics, in a way that reminds me of a more Euro version of The Black Dahlia Murder.